The Other Fincannon Girl
by Hollywoodlover95
Summary: Rewritten-Diana is Susannah's sister and has to come with her to the Ludlow's Ranch. There she, at first, reluctantly befriends Tristan and Alfred and they both begin to fall in love with her. One brother, or just maybe both brothers, will miss out on love. Not for Susannah lovers!
1. Chapter 1

There was nothing I could do once he saw her. Once Samuel Ludlow saw my sister, I was doomed. He was a nice young man who could take care of Susannah, but when they told me that they were taking me with them up to his family's ranch, I was displeased to say the least.

Susannah, ever since our parents died, has been trying to control me. I'm not like her. I don't even look like her: where I am a redhead with a pale complexion, she is a brunette with almost tan skin, and I am also taller than my sister by quite a few inches. Susannah finds it hard to be around me because I am her burden; when our parents died a month ago, she was left to take care of me, her seventeen year old sister.

The train ride with Susannah and Samuel was made bearable by the beautiful countryside that passed us by. Susannah had already made comments about my clothing. I was wearing a suede beige, long sleeve bolero that had paisley lining on the inside. Under that it was just a simple powder blue dress with no sleeves whatsoever, then just white shoes.

The train stopped at a small station, where Samuel took Susannah by the hand and led her off the train, with me trailing with my bag behind them. I watched Samuel greet two men: one older gentleman, his father, Colonel William Ludlow, and a younger man, Samuel's older brother Alfred, I guessed. They welcomed Samuel back and he introduced them to Susannah, then it was my turn.

My sister turned around and waved me down from the train. "Diana, come off the train and meet the Ludlows'!"

When the steam from the train cleared, I hesitantly stepped down to 'meet the Ludlows', and put on my straw hat. William smiled at me and I shook his hand, while Alfred looked at me peculiarly, but still shook my hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Mr Ludlow, and Mr Alfred Ludlow."

"Same to you, Diana."

Samuel laughed. "Don't worry, Diana, he's just plain, old Alfred to you."

"You shut-up!" Alfred said jokingly to Samuel.

"Here's your dog, miss," a man from the steam engine said and gave Finn to me.

"It's a horse!" Colonel Ludlow exclaimed.

Alfred looked at him. "That's a strange-looking animal."

"This is Finn… he's a champion, aren't you, Finn?" Susannah told Alfred while I stood back.

"Where's Tristan?" Samuel asked.

"Oh, he's off somewhere. You know him," Alfred said casually.

"Well, Miss Fincannon, please," William Ludlow offered his arm to Susannah and she took it. "Did you have a good journey?" I heard him ask as they walked off the platform and to a nearby motorcar and horse and cart.

Alfred and Samuel laughed, then they realised I was still there and Alfred offered me his arm. I shook my head politely and got off the platform with Finn.

As I reached the cart, a man jumped down and placed our baggage on the cart, but then he saw me and Finn. "I'll put him on the cart now, miss?" He asked, pointing at Finn.

I smiled and gave him Finn's leash. After he put him on the cart, he turned to me and shook my hand. "My name's Decker, miss."

"Diana. Pleasure to meet you, Decker."

He nodded at me and he turned his attention back to loading the cart, and I went to the motorcar.

In the motorcar, Susannah and Mr Ludlow were in the backseat and the boys were on horses. I was left to sit next to the Indian driver, One Stab, who I immediately took a liking to because of the beautiful necklace he had on. I smiled at him and he gave me a small smile back then we were off to the ranch.

One Stab and I looked at each other throughout the drive. In some ways, we were like outsiders to the rest of them in that we didn't care for their kind of conversation even though we listened in. It was comforting to know that I wasn't alone.

When we reached a grassy meadow, I was about to ask One Stab to stop the car, but he did it before I could open my mouth. I looked back and saw him give me a small wink. So, now out of the car, I began to walk alongside the Alfred and his horse.

Alfred and Susannah began talking about Social Reformers, and I heard a little of it, but mainly I gazed into the beautiful landscape. The topic then became about One Stab and that he had a bag of scalps somewhere. My sister thought that was terrifying, and yet I thought it was something to admire; he had to kill men to claim those, he had to be brave. I thought it was a shame, though, that One Stab didn't speak English, I would have liked to hear him talk to me.

"Hey, there's Tristan!" Samuel shouted and there, in the distance, I saw a man on a horse. He had in tow another horse with a dead animal carcass on it, which made me cringe. This Ludlow brother looked different to them all, as he had long blond hair, wild eyes and dishevelled clothing…quite unlike the rest of the family. Samuel rode to Tristan and they talked while the car drove quickly towards them. I walked slowly, lagging behind everyone else.

"So this must be Tristan," I heard my sister say and after he didn't say anything in return, she continued. "And does he speak English?" She began laughing again.

"Oh, for God's sake…" Alfred said and splashed his water from his canteen onto Tristan's back. Everyone laughed except me, the Colonel, One Stab and Tristan, though he tried to look amused.

When the laughter died down, Tristan said: "Miss. Fincannon, it's a pleasure to meet you. I hope you and ugly here find every happiness together."

I arrived by the side of the car after he said that and he looked at me. "Who must you be?"

I took off my hat and shook his gloved hand. "Diana, Susannah's sister."

"Sister? That's hard to believe."

I scoffed and nodded. "Yes, I hear that quite a bit."

He smiled and then Alfred looked down at me. "Don't mind my brother; your dog has more breeding than he does."

At that Samuel and Tristan wrestled Alfred off his horse and to the ground. Everyone giggled at the boys' display of play-fighting, even I did.

Enough was enough for Colonel Ludlow. "Come on, let's get a move on, I don't want to be stuck out here all day!" One Stab started the car and got moving towards the ranch.

The Alfred and Samuel got back on their horses and rode away, while Tristan took his time with getting up off the grass. I looked at him and handed him a hand towel I had in my bag. He took it, dried himself and grinned at me with his big, white teeth. "Thanks."

I nodded and then I just walked away, following the others.

It wasn't long to the ranch after that. The whole way, Tristan was following close behind me on his horse but I didn't really pay much attention. I first saw the mountains, then the trees and then more of that fantastic grass before I even glanced at the ranch itself. The ranch was relatively small, but the land that the Colonel owned around it was quite generous.

In all honesty, I thought this place was much better than my boarding school. I had been studying to become a nurse at the hospital across the street from the school before I came here. I just finished my final year a semester early, and I was going to receive a scholarship to a college in Baltimore when Susannah pulled me out.

But I have always loved nature, and now I get to live in a place surround by nature's finest, not in the hustle and bustle of city life. What a wonderful opportunity.

When we arrived at the front of the house, we were greeted by a native woman and girl. They smiled as Susannah was helped out of the car by Samuel and as the boys jumped off their horses. The Colonel introduced Susannah and I to them and introduced them to us.

"Susannah, Diana—this is Decker's wife, Pet, and their daughter, Isabel Two. Pet, Isabel Two— this is Susannah and Diana," William said merrily, waving his hand to each of us and them in turn.

I stepped forward first to shake hands with them and I gave a special smile to Isabel Two. "Hello, Isabel, it's nice to meet you."

Once the introductions were over, Decker, Alfred and Samuel took mine and Susannah's baggage up to our room and we followed them. The house was made entirely out of a dark coloured timber and there were many heads of animals mounted on the wall. I was very uncomfortable with that.

Our room was very neat and pretty, and had a nice big bed for Susannah and me to share.

All the men and Pet left the room except for Samuel, who stayed back with Susannah for a bit. I, on the other hand, wanted to go outside and be far away from Samuel and Susannah so I took my bag and went downstairs.

On my way back down the stairs, I was stopped by Alfred, who grabbed my arm and smiled at me. "What did you do to One Stab?"

I liked One Stab, so I was shocked that something may have happened to him. "Why, what's wrong with him?"

"It's not what I meant, Diana; One Stab cannot stop talking about you, it's rare that someone can make such an impression on the old man!" Alfred laughed, looking deep into my eyes.

I found his actions strange as, right at that moment, he was _still_ holding my arm. "Don't scare me like that; I thought One Stab was hurt! And, in any case, I don't know what you mean," I said and took my arm away from him.

I walked on past Alfred but just when I was at the door, Tristan had just stepped inside the door and we both stopped. His eyes were just so blue, but he smelled like dirt and cheap wine. It was a sickening smell.

"Excuse me," I said quietly, walking out into the sunlight, accidently pushing him into the door frame.

Tristan's POV

She was the prettiest thing I had ever seen. Diana's eyes were greener than grass and I liked looking at her orange hair. She was different from her sister, that's for sure. The pain of her pushing me crept into my mind and I rubbed where my shoulder hit the frame.

"She got you pretty bad, huh?! You alright?" Alfred exclaimed and I nodded back to him. "Boy, she's a tough one!"

"She's pretty, though. Hey, what's her story?"

Alfred came to meet me down by the door. "Samuel told me Diana disagreed with Susannah about coming here. She was about to go to a women's college in Baltimore, but with Susannah being Diana's legal guardian, she had to come here. She has a pretty voice, too, doesn't she?"

I wrapped an arm around Alfred and we watched Diana walk into the meadow. "Yeah. By the way, what's wrong with One Stab? He's not himself."

"I think he's obsessed with her; he won't talk about anything else but her."

I raised an eyebrow. "What's he been saying about her?"

Alfred shrugged as we went onto the veranda. "He mumbled about his 'daughter' and Diana's 'spirit', whatever that means."

I was confused. "I thought One Stab only had sons?"

"So did I, so I asked father and he told me Stab had a daughter once, before our time."

"What happened to her?" I asked, interested.

"Father didn't say; he even said to never ask Stab about it either. You know what that means?"

I smirked sadly. Alfred and I both knew what it meant. "Something bad must have happened to her."

Alfred and I nodded to each other for a while and then we both looked out at Diana, who was now sitting in the long grass, taking out a book from her bag. By chance I happened to look over at Alfred, who was watching Diana just as intently as I was, and I could see in his eyes that he liked her for more than just a future sister in-law, I could see the attraction. I looked back at Diana and realised that I was just as damn smitten as Alfred.


	2. Chapter 2

I sat down in the grass, the sun shining brightly onto my back, and a light breeze was in the air. It was a perfect day in Montana, alright, just perfect to read some of Robert Louis Stevenson.

I couldn't stay in the sun too long because of my fair skin, but I stayed in the grass for about fifteen minutes, just reading and thinking. I thought about the trouble that was brewing, my friends back at school and I thought about One Stab, Tristan and Alfred, too. Though Tristan and Alfred were brothers, they seemed worlds apart; Tristan was wild and Alfred was so refined…just like my sister and I.

As I got up and turned towards the house, I saw One Stab looking at me, and then he turned away when he saw me notice him. I wanted to speak with him more than anything else; there was a connection between him and me, and I just couldn't figure what it was.

Susannah, as soon as I was in the house, made me change for dinner into my second best dress: a navy blue one that had a white lace collar and sleeves. She took an eternity getting her hair just right and then she took me downstairs with her.

As soon as we entered the room all of the men jumped out of their seats and pulled out chairs for us, Susannah sitting beside Samuel, and me sitting next to Tristan with Alfred opposite the Colonel. They awkwardly shoved food from all directions in front of us, which we both laughed at, but we politely took a little something from each—except I didn't take any of the roast.

Alfred couldn't wait to comment on this. "Do you not like roast, Diana?"

Samuel answered for me. "Diana is a _vegetarian_; she doesn't eat meat."

"How come?" Tristan asked, as if he really couldn't imagine the idea.

"Have you ever read Henry Salt, Tristan?" I asked and he shook his head. "He believes that animals have rights, and so do I. It's just really a personal choice. But, please, don't think I disapprove of you all enjoying your dinner, and don't think me rude."

"We understand, Diana," Alfred said, nodding.

I smiled back. "Thank-you, Alfred."

"Good. Alright, then, let's eat," the Colonel said, smiling at me, and we all began eating. The potatoes and roast vegetables were delicious and filled me up very quickly. After dinner we retired to the lounge, where the Colonel smoked and the others drank brandy, while Susannah and I sat on the couch.

"So," the Colonel said, puffing his cigar. "Samuel tells me you ladies are musically talented. Now, who plays the piano and who sings?"

Susannah blushed. "Yes, Diana and I both play the piano, but she also sings. Would you like us to play, Mr Ludlow?"

"I don't feel like singing, Susannah," I whispered to her.

"Don't worry, I'll sing with you," Samuel said to me, and then turned to his relatives. "Diana and I will sing. We do a great harmony together."

The Colonel smiled as the three of us gathered around the piano, Samuel deciding to sing 'Twilight and Mist' with us. I asked Susannah to do a quick scale for me to get my voice ready, though I was a little shy in front of the other Ludlows.

Susannah played the introduction and Samuel and I stood on either side of the piano, looking at each other and Susannah.

Samuel started off: "_As evening fell, a maiden stood at the edge of a wood…_"

Then I came in with my soprano voice: "_In her hands lay the reins of a stallion…_"

Then we both sang in our respective ranges: "_And ne'er seen a girl as fair, heard a gentler voice anywhere…_"

A small solo for Samuel. "_Whispered, 'Alas', she belonged…_"

"_Belonged to another, another forever…_" I sang.

"_Yes, she belonged to the twilight and mist…_" we sang together and kept singing together til the song was over.

There was a small, awed applause from the men with Alfred being the first to praise us. "That was very beautiful. Thank-you for entertaining us. We haven't heard that piano being played since Samuel left."

"Yes, and such beautiful playing, Miss Susannah," the Colonel piped in, and then looked at me. "I think only wood sprites and sirens have such voices as yours. It would be lovely if you could sing more often for us."

Tristan, who was sitting in the corner of the room, spoke in a deep, far away voice. "Could you sing another song for us now then?"

The Colonel quickly reprimanded him. "Don't bother the poor girl, Tristan; we're lucky to have heard one song."

I blushed fiercely as I saw the expectance on their faces. "Do you know _'_Eternal Father, Strong to Save'? It's a hymn. You don't mind hymns, do you? I don't particularly like them, but this one I like. Would you like me to play it?"

"Of course," the Colonel said, smiling.

I nodded and sat down at the piano to play the introduction I knew by heart. "_Eternal Father, strong to save, whose arm hath bound the restless wave, who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep, its own appointed limits keep; Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee, for those in peril on the sea…_"

At the end of the song, they thanked me for singing. I thought I saw a tear in Alfred's eye, but I couldn't be sure as I didn't look it any further than a glance. The rest of the night went quickly; I excused myself to bed earlier than all of them to try to read before Susannah came in. So, in my nightgown, under the sheets, I read two chapters before Susannah came through the door.

"It was very good of you to sing for them. The Colonel and the boys love you; they think you're an intelligent and rather handsome girl…" She paused and came to lie on the bed beside me. "Thank-you for making such a good impression. I know I haven't been the best sister—or guardian—lately, but I swear things will change. I'm going to try my best to make things better for us."

I nodded and put my book on the bedside table. "Thanks. I'm going to sleep now. Please, try and make as little noise as possible. 'Night."

"Yes, of course. Goodnight," she said and got off the bed. I lay down and pulled the blankets to my neck, then closed my eyes…

I woke up with Susannah sleeping beside me and the full moon's light coming through the window. Feeling thirsty, I got out of bed quietly and got a drink of water from the table by the window. When I looked outside I saw a campfire in the distance and, from what I could tell, One Stab sitting around it. I felt the need to see him so I put a thick shawl around my shoulders and boots on my feet, and left the room. I made it halfway down the stairs before I felt someone grab a hold of my arm.

I almost screamed but he stopped me. "Shh, shh…It's Tristan."

I sighed and whispered back. "What are you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he smiled but stopped when he saw my confusion. "Usually when One Stab can't sleep, I can't either—and neither can you, it seems. Come on, he's dying to see you."

He led me downstairs, and then to the small fire, where I sat next to One Stab and Tristan stretched out opposite us. Stab looked down at me and said something in his native language, and then spoke to Tristan.

"He says," Tristan began. "That he wants to tell you a story and that I have to translate."

"Okay," I nodded at Stab.

Stab spoke and after each sentence Tristan told me what he meant. "I once had a daughter who was blessed by the spirits with powerful gifts…gifts of beauty and foresight…I loved her very much and she brought me much happiness…but she could not foresee the danger that awaited her… during the Indian Wars, white soldiers came through the village when my sons and I were hunting, so there was no one to protect her…she was raped like a handful of other girls in my tribe."

Stab paused and Tristan said something to him, but he shook his head and went on with his story. "She could not look at me anymore…she would not let me hold her…a week after it happened, she told me the soldiers would come back…in the night she ran to the cliffs and jumped to her death. The soldiers did come back, and my sons and I, in pain and wanting revenge, killed all of them. My sons and I were rounded up, and they were killed…the Colonel intervened and saved me. For years I have been alone…but now my daughter has come back in your form…"

I didn't know what to say, or whether I believed I was his daughter in a different form, but I had to say something. "I'm very sorry for what happened to your daughter, One Stab."

One Stab smiled, and held out his hands for me. "Take my hands…" Tristan translated, and so I took Stab's hands in mine. "Such sadness…the death of one's parents…but this sadness will not last for long…"

"How do you know that, One Stab?" I asked, looking straight into his eyes.

"He just knows," Tristan said, getting up. "Better be getting back to bed now, Diana. Come on."

I looked at Tristan and then back to One Stab. "We will meet again tomorrow, won't we?"

Once One Stab nodded and gestured for me to leave, I walked back with Tristan to the house.

"I like him a lot," I sighed, smiling slightly at Tristan. "You think he'll ever speak English to me?"

He shrugged back at me as we walked back up the stairs. "Well, I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for that to happen."

"Perhaps you'll teach me how to speak with him, then?"

"Perhaps," he repeated, and then patted me on the shoulder. "Goodnight, Diana."

We parted ways and I slipped back into bed without waking Susannah, but I heard muffled voices out in the hallway and thought Tristan must have woken up one of his brothers. The voices stopped after a minute and I drifted back off to sleep.

Tristan's POV

"What are you _doing_, Tristan?"

"Go back to bed, Alfred," I sighed, trying to go past him but he pushed me back.

I saw the look his eyes, even in the darkness, and knew he was mad at me. "Not until you answer my question."

"For God's sake, we just went out to see Stab!"

"Sure, that's your excuse, but I know what you want."

"And what's that exactly?" I asked, anger spiking through my voice.

"You want _her_."

"So do you, it seems."

His nostrils flared. "She's too good for you, and you know it. Stay away from her."

"Real smart, Alfred; she and her sister are going to be living with us for a while, so it's gonna be impossible to avoid her," I said, and shook my head. "I'm going back to bed, and so should you. We can talk about this later."

"Yeah," he said, taking steps backward. "We will."


	3. Chapter 3

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey, guys! Sorry for not updating fast enough for you all, but hopefully this will tide you all over. Also, there is going to be a very _SLIGHT_ supernatural twist to my story, as I have always intended there to be. It won't be very much of one, so don't worry too much about it. Anyway, hope you all enjoy! x

"Diana!" Susannah yelled. "We're taking photographs now, come down!"

I hurried down the stairs and walked quickly over to her and her tripod, with the boys waiting patiently a few yards away.

She clicked her tongue at me. "I would have liked a nice photograph of you in a dress…"

I looked down at my Levi's and shrugged. "It'll just have to do, won't it? Am I with them for the first picture?" I asked, looking over at the three brothers.

"Yes, and then you'll take one with me and them, and then we'll have one of just us and then just them. Now go over to them," she ordered, shooing me away with her hand.

"'Morning, Diana," Alfred said as I stood beside him.

"Alfred," I acknowledged.

"Alright," Susannah called. "Can you all sit down now, please? Diana you go in the middle with Samuel and then Tristan and Alfred, could you join in on the sides, thanks?"

We all did what she asked and smiled until our cheeks hurt. After all the photographs, I drifted off from my sister and the boys, and started walking around the house. I went over to the vegetable garden where Isabel Two was inspecting the produce.

"Hello, Isabel," I called. "Can I help?"

"No, thank-you," she said politely, walking over to me. "I'm done now."

I opened the gate for her to come through. "How old are you, Isabel?"

"I'm thirteen, and you?"

"Seventeen," I sighed.

"Seventeen?" She asked, her eyebrows raised as high as they could go. "How can you be so tall at seventeen?"

"I don't think I'm all that tall, but then I can't say I was ever below or at your height at thirteen. I was always taller than my classmates."

She took a moment to think about this. "Are you taller than the boys your age?"

"Some. You see, Isabel, girls become smarter and taller earlier than boys. Boys will get taller after us, but unfortunately, they never get smarter," I joked.

Isabel laughed. "Your sister is shorter than you though."

I shrugged. "My grandmother was Russian and her family were very tall people. Susannah must have missed out on it. My hair is red because of my grandfather's Irish ancestry, and Susannah missed out on that as well."

She nodded. "She's going to marry Samuel."

"Yes, she is."

She looked around for a second before replying. "I'm going to marry Tristan."

"Good for you."

"It would be perfect if…" She began, but trailed off.

"It would be perfect if what?"

"You married Alfred," she beamed.

It was my turn to raise my eyebrows. "Oh, no, no, no, no…"

"Why not?" She asked, innocently.

"Well, what I mean is I _can_ marry Alfred, but I don't _have_ to."

"So, you won't?"

"I have no idea," I shrugged. "Probably not."

She sighed. "That's too bad…"

"Why, Izzy, dear?" I asked.

"Alfred," she giggled. "I think he likes you."

Isabel Two walked on while I stood stock-still. I shook my head; I couldn't take the words of a child seriously—especially one trying to play match-maker.

"Diana," Alfred called from behind me. "How are you today?"

_Speak of the Devil…_

I smiled politely and turned to see him trudging through the grass. "I'm well, Alfred, and you?"

"Fine," he said, and then paused, as if he didn't know what to say. "I heard you talked to Stab last night."

I motioned for him to accompany me as I started walking again. "Yes, I did. He and I are bonded in a strange way."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm his daughter," I sighed. "Just in another form."

He smiled. "You believe him?"

"I have no reason not to. As soon as I saw him I felt different in some way, and now I know why."

"And he told you all that last night?" He asked and I nodded. "I can't believe Tristan didn't tell me."

"I wouldn't blame him, Alfred; he was just probably just thinking about whether One Stab and I wanted to keep it a secret," I shrugged, and then bumped him playfully. "But what about you?!"

He frowned. "About me? What do you want to know?"

"I'd like to know why you're living here when you're clearly destined for business or law or something along those lines."

"One day I'll leave," he said, and smiled. "But, for now, there is only a reason to stay."

"Yes, well, it is lovely here, isn't it?" I said, motioning to the surrounding meadow. "I wouldn't leave here with a view like this at my doorstep, either."

He smirked, as if he knew a joke I didn't, before he moved on. "Do you still miss your home or school? I heard you were training to become a nurse."

"Only a little and I am far too in love with the countryside to go back," I smiled. "And, yes, I was. A nurse…"

"You don't seem happy about it."

"I'd have liked to been trained as a doctor rather than a nurse. Alas, it is completely out of my reach."

"Why is that exactly?"

"I wasn't born the correct sex for it. When you're a male, I guess it is easy to forget that we're living in a patriarchal society," I said, walking up the steps to the house. "With nursing I'll at least get to watch doctors and learn from them, but it seems I'll never have a salary or recognition equivalent to one."

"You should lead the cause!" Alfred exclaimed, stopping with me by the stairs. "Suffragettes are close to achieving their aim, so I hear."

"Oh, Alfred, with men like you there is hope yet!" I said, placing my hand upon his shoulder. "I will see you later."

Alfred gave me one last smile before turning away, leaving me to climb up to my room.

Just as my hand touched the bannister, I felt a sharp pain in my stomach. A scream came out of my mouth as the image of the stairs in front of me was replaced by one of blood and young men in uniform dying on a muddy landscape. Loud gunfire and noises of explosions deafened my ears until I covered them and fell to the floor.

"_Diana!" _

When my eyes opened I was still on the floor and Alfred was cradling me in his arms. Susannah was behind him and I saw Samuel running up behind her. It was as though I was looking at them—I could see them—but my mind could only register the images I had seen only moments ago. They all looked at me with wide eyes and helpless expressions. Alfred was speaking to me but I couldn't answer.

All of a sudden One Stab burst through the open doorway and ran over to me. With one swift movement he pushed Alfred to the side and took his place. I looked up into his eyes and I felt some kind of clarity, and in return he nodded, as if he knew what had happened. He began to raise me up and then support me when I was finally vertical. One Stab then put one arm around my shoulders while his other hand held mine in front of me, and proceeded to walk me up the stairs without giving an explanation to the Ludlows or my sister.

We made it to my room and he placed me on the bed, carefully resting my head and taking off my shoes. He placed the comforter over me and looked me over with deep concern.

"Oh, One Stab," I sobbed, reaching my hand out for his. "Help me..."

He shushed me, and stroked my forehead over and over. It seemed as if his touch was magic because my eyes closed and I fell asleep…

"_Susannah…?" _

"Shh," she said, patting my forehead. "I'm here now."

I noticed the darkness of the room almost immediately. "What time is it?"

"Almost nine o'clock at night."

"I need One Stab…Please, I need to see him," I murmured, trying to sit up but falling back down.

Susannah frowned and pulled the blankets back up around me. "I'll fetch him for you now. Save your strength."

She left and I could hear raised muffled voices downstairs. It sounded like one of the boys were arguing with one another, but I couldn't exactly tell who. The voices stopped as One Stab came into my room. He gave me a small smile and came over to sit beside me. I reached out for his hand and he gave it to me with no hesitation. For a few moments we just looked at each other, but then I had to talk to him.

"I know what I saw, One Stab. So clear, it was…as clear as you are here now, speaking with me. But is it going to come true?"

One Stab patted my hand. He put his finger to his lips, signalling for me to quieten down, and then gestured for me to rest before leaving the room.

I had always believed that foresight was real, but thought it was only a skill for gypsies and natives. Maybe this was what One Stab had meant by the spirit of his daughter being inside me?

Before I could delve any deeper into my thoughts, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," I called, sitting up slightly.

Tristan came into the room and smiled at me. "How are you feeling?"

"Better than before, that's for sure. Thank-you, Tristan."

"No problem," he said, sitting down on the chair beside me. "You had everyone going there for a minute, missy!"

"Alfred did look quite frightened, didn't he?" I replied, reaching for the glass of water beside me.

Tristan nodded and helped me to take a sip. "What happened to you?"

"I saw…something. Something horrible, Tristan; so horrible that it couldn't—and shouldn't—be more than a nightmare. If it really wasn't, then it must surely mean …" I said, and then paused to sigh. "Maybe I'm just delirious?"

"Maybe you should go back to sleep for a while," he said, getting up and heading to the door. "It was quite a fall…I was worried about you."

He let his words linger for a few moments before closing the door quietly, leaving me with my thoughts, as well as the prospect of more nightmares.


End file.
